Ski boot

ABSTRACT

A ski boot made of a rigid material comprising a shaft for receiving the wearer&#39;&#39;s leg and a boot proper. The shaft is detachably connected to the boot proper and is movable to a forwardly and outwardly inclined position relative to the boot proper.

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Koyama et al.

[ SKI BOOT [75] Inventors: Akira Koyama, Kashiwa; Yoshinari Mochizuki,Tokyo, both of Japan [73] Assignee: Hope Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo,

Japan [22] Filed: July 10, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 377,930

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 27, 1972 Japan 47-96190[52] us. Cl. 36/25 AL [51] Int. Cl. A43b [58] Field of Search 36/2.5 R,2.5 AL

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,239,952 5/1966 'Lange etal 36/25 AL [451 Oct. 29, 1974 3,609,887 10/1971 Hickmann et al. 36/25AL 3,728,804 4/1973 Mochizuki 36/25 AL Primary ExaminerPatrick D. LawsonAttorney, Agent, or FirmDiller, Brown, Ramik & Wight [57] ABSTRACT A skiboot made of a rigid material comprising a shaft for receiving thewearers leg and a boot proper. The shaft is detachably connected to theboot proper and is movable to a forwardly and outwardly inclinedposition relative to the boot proper.

2 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures PATENTEB our. 2 9 19M SHEET 1 0F 4 FIG;

SKI soor must be so constructed that a cylindrical portion in which theskiers lower leg is received (hereinafter referred to as a shaft)iscapable of inclining about the ankle in a forward direction relativeto a boot proper.

The forward inclination of the conventional ski boot is made possible byproviding bearings on the lower sides of the shaft as well as on theupper sides of the boot proper and holding the bearings on the shaft andthe boot proper together by means of a pivot pin inserted through thebearings.

The conventional ski boot described above requires many manufacturingprocesses for securing the shaft to the boot proper by means of the pindue to its construction in which the shaft is integrally connected tothe boot proper. This involves a higher manufacturing cost. Moreover,the shaft can incline forwardly only within a required range of anglerelative to the boot proper, so that when a composite external forceother than the forward lean motion of the skier is momently applied tothe shaft while skiing, the shaft sometimes hurts the skiers leg.

Since both sides of the shaft of the conventional ski boot areundetachably secured to the boot proper by means of the pins, a devicefor opening the shaft and a part of the boot proper must be provided inthe rear portion of the shaft and the boot proper respectivelyfor'enabling the skier to insert his foot and leg into the boot. Thisdevice makes the construction of the ski boot extremely complicated.Furthermore, increase of openable parts in a ski boot necessitated bysuch construction is undesirable because it not only weakens thestrength of the boot but permits entering of snow and ice into the boot.

It is, therefore, a general object of the invention to provide a skiboot which has eliminated the above described disadvantages of the priorart ski boots.

It is another object of the invention to provide a ski boot which iseasy to manufacture and fit in which a boot proper and a shaft can bedetached from each other when an excess force acts on the shaft therebyimproving safety during skiing.

It is another object of the invention to provide a ski boot capable ofsufficiently following the forward inclination of the skier while he isskiing.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a ski bootcapable of perfectly preventing entering of snow and ice with arelatively simple construction.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent fromthe description made hereinbelow with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of one embodimentof the ski boot according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the ski boot; 7

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ski boot in which the boot properand the shaft are shown in a separate relationship;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the ski boot shown in a state in which it isworn by the skier;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing portions of the shaft andthe boot proper for explaining the connection between the shaft and theboot proper;

FIG. 6 is a side view of another embodiment of the ski boot according tothe invention;

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the ski boot shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side view of another embodiment of the ski boot according tothe invention;

FIG. 9 is a rear view of the ski boot shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a rear view of the ski boot shown in FIG. 8 in which theshaft is shown in an open state; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of one exampleof a cover plate.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate one embodiment of the ski boot according to theinvention. In these figures, only a right boot is shown for anillustrative purpose, but it will be appreciated that a left boot isentirely of the same construction as the right boot.

A boot proper I and a shaft 2 are made of rigid materials such as metalsor rigid plastics. The shaft 2 is made separately from the boot properl. The boot proper l has, as shown in FIG. I a sole la which graduallyincreases its thickness from the outer side 10 toward the inner side lb.The lower side portions of the shaft 2 are connected at connectingpoints A and B to the upper edge portion of the boot proper l. The innerconnecting point A is located nearer to the boot toe than the outerconnecting point B to allow the skiers leg to be bent forwardly andoutwardly in conformance with a natural anatomical movement of the legas well as to facilitate edge control in traversing or turning.According to this construction the forward inclination of the shaft '2will cause the skiers knees to be separated from each other therebycreating a relatively wide moving range of the knees. This will enablethe skier to ride sufficiently on the inside edge of the sole la withouttaking any difficult skiing attitude in traversing or turning.

Next to be described is a device for connecting the boot proper 1 withshaft 2 and the construction of the shaft 2.

In the example shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, semicircular recesses 3 and 3aare respectively formed in either side portion of the upper edge portion1d of the boot proper l with their upper ends opening upwardly. Pivotingaxis portions 4 and 4a are formed integrally with the boot proper l atthe center of each recess.

The shaft 2 consists of a left shaft member 2a and a right shaft member2b. Hooks 5 and 5a are respectively provided at and projectingdownwardly from the lower side portions of the left and right shaftmembers 2a and 2b. The hooks 5 and 5a are generally of an arcuateconfiguration which is complimentary with the shape of the recesses 3and 3a and are adapted to be inserted into and engage the recesses 3 and30 when the shaft 2 is connected to the boot proper l. The books 5 and5a may be formed integrally with the shaft 2 or may be separately madeand riveted to the shaft 2 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The connection between the shaft 2 and the boot proper 1 mayalternatively be achieved by adopting a device as shown in FIG. 5. Inthe example shown in FIG. 5, an outwardly opening semicircular recess 3ais formed on either side of the upper edge portion Id of the boot properI. A semicircular projection 5a which can be fitted in the semicircularrecess 3a is provided at the lower side portions of the left and rightshaft members 2a and 2b. An arcuate opening 3b is formed concentricallywith the semicircular recess 3a in the bottom thereof. A pin or stud 5bis fixedly secured to the inside of the semicircular projection 5a sothat it may engage in the arcuate opening 3b when the projection 5a isfitted in the recess 3a. It will be apparent that an arcuate opening maybe formed in the projection 5a and a pin may be provided on the bottomof the recess 3a for achieving a similar effect. Upon insertion of thepin 5b into the opening 3b and closing of the shaft 2, the connection ofthe shaft 2 to the boot proper has been completed. In this embodiment,the forward inclination of the shaft 2 is permitted by the slidingmovement of the pin 5b in the arcuate opening 3b.

Reverting to FIG. 4, the shaft 2 is composed of the left and right shaftmembers 2a and 2b to facilitate fitting of the boot. These shaft members2a and 2b are pivotally connected to each other at the front edgesthereof by means of a hinge 2c and are openable in the rear. Buckles 7are provided on the rear portions of these shaft members.

Reference numeral 9 designates a shock absorbing cylinder assemblyconnected obliquely between the shaft 2 and the boot proper l. Theassembly is connected at one end to the shaft 2 and at the other end tothe vamp of the boot proper l. The shock absorbing assembly isdetachable from the boot at one of these connections. The assemblycomprises a compression spring (not shown) and acts to absorb shockaccompanying the forward inclination of the shaft 2.

Reference numeral 10 designates a safety spring stretched between theboot proper l and the shaft 2. When a load exceeding a predeterminedvalue acts on the boot proper l or the shaft 2, the safety spring 10 isreleased to permit disengagement of the shaft 2 from the boot proper 1.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment in which the shaft 2 is composed of twovertically divided shaft members 2a and 2b as in the above describedembodiments, but the device for connecting the shaft 2 to the bootproper l is different from those employed in the above describedembodiments. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the lower front portionof the shaft members and 2b is obliquely cut off.

The shaft 2 is fitted over the boot proper 1 so that the lower side edgeportion 2a of each shaft member which is at the lowermost end of theoblique front edge 2e makes contact with the middle portion of the upperedge Id of the boot proper l. A connecting sheet 11 made of a flexiblematerial such as rubber or soft synthetic resin is connected at theupper end portion thereof to the front portions of the left and rightshaft members 2a and 2b and, at the lower end portion thereof, to thefront part of the upper edge portion 1d of the boot proper l. Theconnecting sheet 11 may be connected by means of screws 12 or bonded tothe shaft 2 and the boot proper l. The lower rear portions of the shaftmembers 2a and 2b overlap the rear portion of the upper edge portion 1dof the boot proper l.

The shaft 2 can pivot forwardly about the lower side edge portion 2dwithin the opening formed between the oblique front edge 2e and theupper edge portion 1d. Further, the left and right shaft members 2a and2b can be inclined to the left and right sides respectively with respectto the longitudinal axis of the boot proper l as can be seen from FIG.7.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 through 10 has the same construction asthe one shown in FIG. 7 in that the boot proper 1 is connected to theshaft 2 by means of the connecting member 11. In addition to thisconstruction, special arrangements are made in this embodiment forensuring an an accurate forward inclination of the shaft 2 andfacilitating insertion and taking off of the skiers foot. Morespecifically, projections are provided on both sides of the upper edgeportion 1d of the boot proper l, and pins 13 are fixedly connected tothese projections. Two side shaft members 2a and 2b of the shaft 2 arehingedly connected to a front shaft member 2f by means of hinges 2c andare openable in the rear as can best be seen in FIG. 10.

The lower front portions of the side shaft members 2a and 2b areobliquely cut off to permit the forward inclination of the shaft 2. Inthe middle lower end portions of the side shaft members 2a and 2b thereare formed recesses l4, 14 which are engageable with the pins l3, 13.

The shaft 2 is connected to the boot proper l by means of a connectingsheet 11. The connecting sheet 11 is a strap made of a flexiblewater-proof material and has a shape as shown in FIG. 11. The upper edge11a of the connecting sheet 11 is connected by means of screws 15 or thelike fastening device to the inside of the cut-off edge portion 26 ofthe shaft 2. and the lower edge 11b to the inside of the upper edgeportion 1d of the boot proper 1 respectively. The side edges 11c of theconnecting sheet 11 are made rigid by thickening these portions of thestrap or attaching metal pieces thereto, so that the side shaft members2a and 2b are in an outwardly spaced relationship relative to the bootproper 1 when these members 2a and 2b are opened.

In wearing the ski boots having the constructions shown in FIGS. 1through 3 and FIG. 4, the skier puts on inner boots, puts his foot intothe boot proper l and amounts the shaft 2 about his lower legs. Then heinserts the fooks 5, 5a of each shaft 2 into the recesses 3, 3a of thecorresponding boot proper 1 thereby connecting the shaft 2 to the bootproper l in such manner that the shaft 2 can pivot forwardly about thepivoting axis portions 4. Thereafter, the shock absorbing cylinderassembly 9 and the safety spring 10 are mounted to the boot proper l andthe shaft 2. In the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the shaft 2is pivotably connected to the boot proper l by fitting the projection 5ato the semicircular recess 3a and inserting the pin 5b into the arcuateopening 3b.

In putting on the boots as shown in FIG. 6, the skier opens the left andright shaft members and puts his feet into the inner boots provided inthe boots. He thereafter closes the shaft members 2a and 2b and fastensthe buckles 7 to fit the shaft 2 tightly around his lower legs. Thelower side edge portions 2:! of the shaft 2 serve as pivots during theforward inclination of the shaft 2 and the connecting sheet 11 iscompressed to allow such forward inclination of the shaft 2.

In the case of the ski boots shown in FIGS. 8 through 10, the skieropens the two side shaft members 2a and 2b outwardly. The recesses 14 atthe lower end of the side shaft members 2a and 2b are disengaged fromthe pins 13 and the members 2a and 2b can be respectively opened apartfrom the boot proper l by a distance equal to the width of theconnecting sheet ll.

The skier wearing inner boot inserts his foot into the boot proper l andcauses the side shaft members 2a and 2b to move inwardly. This causesthe side edges 11c of the connecting sheet 11 to rise upwardly therebybringing the recesses 14 into fitting engagement with the pins 13. Byclosing the buckles 7, the pivotal connection of the shaft 2 to the bootproper 1 is completed.

The pivotal connection of the shaft 2 to the boot proper 1 is notlimited to the above described construction but other suitable fittingengagement between a projection and a recess may be employed.

What is claimed is:

1. A ski boot made of a rigid material comprising a boot proper, a shaftfor receiving the wearers lower leg portion and means for detachablyconnecting said shaft to said boot proper, said means comprising a pairof upwardly opening recesses respectively formed in the upper side edgeportions of said boot proper, a pair of pivoting axis portionsrespectively formed at the center of said recesses and a pair of hooksrespectively provided at the lower side portions of said shaft andadapted to engage said recesses.

2. A ski boot made of a rigid material comprising a boot proper, a shaftfor receiving the wearers lower leg portion and means for detachablyconnecting said shaft to said boot proper, said means comprising a pairof recesses respectively formed in the upper side edge portions of saidboot proper and opening both in upward and outside directions, a pair ofprojections respectively provided at the lower side portions of saidshaft and adapted to engage said recesses, a pair of opening each beingformed concentrically with said recess in either one of said recess andsaid projection and a pair of pins each being provided on the other ofsaid recess and said projection.

1. A ski boot made of a rigid material comprising a boot proper, a shaftfor receiving the wearer''s lower leg portion and means for detachablyconnecting said shaft to said boot proper, said means comprising a pairof upwardly opening recesses respectively formed in the upper side edgeportions of said boot proper, a pair of pivoting axis portionsrespectively formed at the center of said recesses and a pair of hooksrespectively provided at the lower side portions of said shaft andadapted to engage said recesses.
 2. A ski boot made of a rigid materialcomprising a boot proper, a shaft for receiving the wearer''s lower legportion and means for detachably connecting said shaft to said bootproper, said means comprising a pair of recesses respectively formed inthe upper side edge portions of said boot proper and opening both inupward and outside directions, a pair of projections respectivelyprovided at the lower side portions of said shaft and adapted to engagesaid recesses, a pair of opening each being formed concentrically withsaid recess in either one of said recess and said projection and a pairof pins each being provided on the other of said recess and saidprojection.